Door closure and operating mechanism



g- 9, 1932- c. c. "'roMKmsoN DOOR CLOSURE AND OPERATING MECHANISM Filed April 4, 1928 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Aug. 9, 1932. c. c. TOMKINSON DOOR CLOSURE AND OPERATING MECHANISM Filed April 4. 1928 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR (hark: C 75mfim$on BY Wham N Q ATlORN s.

Aug. 9, 1932. c. c. TOMKINSON DOOR CLOSURE AND OPERATING MECHANISM Filed April 4. 1928 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR Patented Aug. 9, 1932 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE- CHABLES C. TOMKINSON, OF PLAINFIELD, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGN- MENTS, TO 3. EDWARD OGDEN COMPANY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OI NEW JERSEY DOOR CLOSNRE AND OPERATING MECHANISM Application filed April 4, 1928 Serial No. 267,166.

This invention relates to operating and control mechanism for doors and particularly for elevator hatchway doors.

The invention has for its salient object to provide simple and practical door operating mechanism for opening or closing one or a plurality of hatchway doors.

Another object of the invention is to provide door operating structure so constructed and arranged that a plurality of doors in an elevator hatchway can be controlled through a single operating element.

Another object of the invention is to provide door locking mechanism so constructed and arranged that a door locked thereby cannot he accidentally opened.

Another object of the invention is to provide in conjunction with door operating mechanism, means operative when the door is opened to store up power to assist in the closing of the door.

Another object of the invention is to provide intercontrol means for hatchway doors so constructed and arranged that the doors for hatchway openings on adjacent floors can be operated simultaneously or independently.

Further objects of the invention will appear from the following specification taken in connection with the drawings, which form a part of this application, and in which Fig. 1 is a sectional elevation illustrating a plurality of hatchway doors and operating mechanism therefor;

Fig. 2 is a sectional elevation taken at right angles to Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional elevation illustrating the door construction;

Fig. 4 is a sectional elevation showing the counterweight sheaves and connections to the door;

Fig. 5 is a detail elevation illustrating one form of abutment for supporting the counterweights; Fig. 6 is a view similar to Fig. 5 showing a slightly different form of counterweight su porting abutment;

ig. 7 is a plan view of one of the disks shown in Fig. 6 and adapted to provide for adjustment in the counterweight supporting abutment;

Fig; 8 is an enlarged sectional elevation illustrating a door looking or latching mechamsm;

Fig. 9 is a sectional elevation taken through the bottom edge portion of the door illustratmg a self-adjusting flap carried by the bottom of the door;

Fig. 10 is a sectional elevation of one edge portion of the door showing the guide rail;

Fig. 11 is a view taken at right angles to Fig. 10, illustrating a spring at the end of the guide rail or track for storing up energy when the door is opened;

Fig. 12 is a view similar to Fig. 1 but illustrating separate operating mechanism for alternate floors; and

Fig. 13 is a diagrammatic view taken at right angles to Fig. 12.

The invention briefly described consists of a door operating mechanism comprising a single element adapted to control the operation of a plurality of hatchway doors and controlled in its move-ment by hydraulic or pneumatic operating mechanism. In the form of the invention disclosed, each door is adapted to be opened by counterweighting mechanism and it is adapted to be closed when the c'ounterweighting mechanism is raised or supported by the control elements.

Each door is furthermore provided with means for storing up energy when the door is opened to assist in the initial closing movement thereof.

Various forms of door operating connections are shown but in each form of the invention a single element extending through the shaftway controls the opening and closing of the doors and, furthermore, in each case adjustable connections are provided for Door closure construction Ln the form of the invention illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2, there are shown a plural ty of floor levels A, B, C and D. At each of the floor levels there is a hatchway door opening adapted to be closed by a door which, as illustrated, comprlses a pan of sections 21 and 22 hingedly. connected at 23.

The door sections are provided at then lateral edges with rollers 25, 26 and 27 p0- sitioned in channel tracks or guide rails 29 and 30. The guide rails are provided with vertical portions 35, curved, intermediate ortions 36 and horizontal portions 37. Eac of the horizontal portions of the tracks has a spring 38 mounted in the end thereof adapted -to be compressed when the doors are moved to their wide open position, as shown at Fig. 2, at the floor levels B and C.

The springs 38.store up energy when the doors are opened and assist in the initial closing movement of the doors when the doors are closed.

Each door is adapted to be opened by a counterweight 40 having a pair of lugs or brackets 41 and 42, between which are mounted a pair of sheaves 43 and 44. A counterweight cable 45 has one end secured as shown at 46 to a fixed support and the cable passes beneath sheave 43, upwardly over a sheave 50 and downwardly to a bracket or lug 51 to the lower end of one of the side edges of the lower door section 21. A fusible link 52 is preferably interposed between the lower end of the cable and the lug or bracket 51.

Another counterweight cable 53 is also secured to a fixed support and passes under the counterweight sheave 44, upwardly over a sheave 55 and across the door opening, around a sheave 56 and downwardly to a bracket or lug 57 projecting laterally from the opposite ed e of the lower door section 21. A fusible lin 58 is interposed between the lug 57 and the lower end of the cable 53.

The counterweight 40 is of sufficient weight to raise the door sections to open position when the weight is free to fall and by reason of the counterwei ht cable connections above described it will clear that the counterweight will move only one-half the distance of the door sections.

From the showing in Fig. 2 it will be noted that the door section 21 in its wide or open position is inclined. Since there is comparatively little friction and the movement of the door section 22along the horizontal portions of the guide; rails requires only a small Operating mechanism for door closures The operating mechanism is so constructed and arran ed that a plurality of .hatchway doors can be opened simultaneously or any one of the doors that is unlocked can be opened individually. This statement also applies to the closing of the doors. In Fi s. 1

and 2. the doors at floor levels 'B and are open and the door at the floor level A is closed. When the counterweights 40 at the floor levels B and C are raised, the doors at these floor levels will be closed.

The counterweights are controlled by a single cable 60 which, in the form of the invention illustrated, is secured through a turnbuckle 61 to a rod 62 having mounted on the upper end thereof a piston 63 in a cylinder 64. An adjustable stop 59 is provided at one end of the cylinder 64.

The cable 60 has secured thereto vertically spaced clamps 65. In the form of the invention illustrated in Figs. 1, 2 and 5, each clamp has threaded therein a sleeve 66 having a head 67. A spring 68 is interposed between the head 67 of each sleeve and the counterweight 40 controlled thereby and by adjusting the sleeve 60 the operation of the counterweight raising and lowering element can be so regulated as to properly control the movement of the door to open and closed positions.

In Figs. 6 and 7 a plurality of slotted disks or washers -70 are positioned between the clamps and the spring 68. Each washer has a central opening 71 for receiving the cable 60 and has a slot 72 leading from the opening 71 to the periphery of the washer. The cable 60 and rod 62 are raised and lowered by hydraulic operating means for the cylinder 64. A conduit 75 conducts hydraulic pressure fluid to a valve casing 76 havin a valve 77 therein provided with passages 78 and 79. The casing 76 has a pair of outlet conduits 80 and 81. Conduit 80 communicates with a pair of conduits 85 and 86 and conduit 81 communicates with a pair of conduits 87 and 88. Conduits 85 and 86 communicate with the cylinder 64 adjacent one end thereof and conduits 87 and 88 communicate with the cylinder adjacent the other end thereof, it being noted that the conduits 86 and 87 are disposed nearer the longitudinal center of the cylinder than the conduits 85 and 88. Casing 76 has a discharge conduit 89 connected thereto and adapted to conduct the pressure fluid away from one or the other end of the cylinder.

The valve 77 hasa spindle 95 provided with an arm 96 which is connected by a pin slot connection to a rod 97 which in turn is adapted to be moved in opposite directions by a pair of solenoids 98 and 99.

The conduits 85, 86, 87 and 88 are each provided with a regulating valve 100 for controlling the passage of the fluid through the conduits. In Fig. 1 it will be seen that the pressure fluid has been fed into the upper end of the cylinder 64, through the conduit 75, passage 78, conduit 80 and conduits 85 and 86. On the other hand, the lower end of the cylinder is open to the exhaust conduit 89, through the passage 79, conduit 81 and conduits 87 and 88. When the solenoid 98 1s energized, the rod 97 will be moved upwardly, viewing Fig. 1, thus rotating the valve 77 and opening the conduit 81 to the incoming pressure fluid and opening the conduit 80 to the exhaust conduit 89. Thus, the piston 63, rod 62 and cable 60 will be raised.

The valves 100 in the conduits 85 and 88 are so regulated that the passage of the fluld through these conduits is. restricted. \Vhen the valve is reversed and the conduit 81 is placed in communication with the pressure conduit 75, the pressure fluid w1ll first pass through the conduit 88 and raise the piston slowly until the conduit 87 is uncovered by the piston, whereby the piston will be'raised more rapidly. During the upward movement of the piston, both conduits 85 and 86 W1ll conduct the pressure fluid above the piston away from the cylinder until the piston 63 overlaps the intake end of the conduit 86.

Thereafter the discharge of the fluid will take place through the conduit 85 and this discharge will be at a slower rate of speed, thus providing a cushioning effect. To assist in the downward movement of the cable 60, a counterweight 101 is secured to the lower end of the cable and may be located in the basement of the building.

Means is provided in connection with each door for locking the door in closed position, the locking means being so constructed that the release of a counterweight controlling a door will not open the door unless the lock ing means has been previously released. The locking means is particularly illustrated in Fig. 8, wherein the upper end of a door section 22 is shown as provided with a recess 110 having a casing 111 positioned therein. The casing has an upwardly extending flange 112 adapted to engage a notch 113 formed.

in the lower edge of a reciprocable latch 114 having a beveled outer end 115. The latch 114 is slidably mounted in a casing 116 car ried by the door casing 120. A spring 121 tends to force the latch 114 outwardly and a solenoid winding 122 surrounds each of the latches and is adapted, when energized, to withdraw the latch. When the counterweights are raised by the cable 60, thus per-- mitting the doors to close, the latches will snap into the casings 111. Thereafter, whenthe cable 60 is lowered to withdraw the abutments from the counterweights for the purpose of opening one or more doors in the shaft, the counterweight of each unlocked particularly adapted for use in connectionwith double-decked elevators or, in other words, for use with elevators serving a plurality of floors at thesame time.

It has been found that a single dooroperating mechanism or element for opening and closing hatchway doors is subject to certain disadvantages when used in connection with a double-decked elevator. For instance, when the elevator is disposed in position to serve two floors, and it is desired to open the hatch-.

way doors at those two floors, they cannot be opened consecutively or successively but must be opened simultaneously. If the operator has already unlocked and opened the door at one of the floor levels served by the elevator and then desires to open the door-at the other floor level, this cannot be done without first closing the door which has already been opened, since the release of the latch of the closed door would permit this door to open with a bang rather than gradually. Furthermore, in most cases difficulty is encountered in releasing the latch after the counterweight control element has moved away from the counterweight of the closed oor.

To overcome the difliculties set forth in the preceding paragraph, means has been provided in the form of the invention illustrated in Fig. 12 for independently controlling the opening of doors at adjacent floor levels. In this embodimentof the invention a power cylinder X controls the raising and lowering element 170 which in turn controls the raising and lowering of the counterweights for the doors at floor levels A and C. A second power cylinder Y controls the raising and lowering element 171 which in turn controls the open ing of the door at floor level B and would also control the opening of the door at the floor level above the floor D if this floor level and the door therefor were illustrated.

Since the operation of the cylinders Xand Y and the connections for opening and closing the doors are the same in-Fig. 12 as those already described, further desci'iptlon is not deemed'necessary. With the construction illustrated in Fig. 12 if the two decks of the car are disposed opposite floor levels B and C, then the doors at these floor levels can be opened independently and it will not be necessary to open them simultaneously.

From the foregoing description it will be seen that simple, practical and effective means have been provided for opening and closing hatchway doors. By means of the mechanism described, one or a plurality of the doors can be operated simultaneously and, furthermore, the control mechanism for the opening and closing of the doors is so constructed and arranged that this mechanism will cooperate with the doors in a manner to insure the correct amount of travel or movement of the doors.

Moreover, means has been provided in conjunction with the door operating means for storing up energy when the doors are opened for assisting in the initial closing movement of the doors.

Door latching means has been provided for preventing accidental opening of the door after the supporting means for the counterweight which controls the opening of the door has moved away from the counterweight. The form of the invention illustrated in Fig. 12, as above described, is particularly adapted for use in conjunction with double-decked elevators and by means of this construction the doors at adjacent floor levels are independently controlled.

Although certain specific embodiments of the invention have been particularly shown and described, it will be understood that the invention is capable of modification and that changes in the construction and in the arrangement of the various cooperating parts may be made without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention, as expressed in the following claims.

What I claim is:

1. Door closure and operating mechanism comprising a plurality of hatchway doors movable to open and closed positions, operating and control means for said doorsfor controlling the opening and closing movements of doors on alternate floors, and other means for controlling the movements of the other doors.

2. Door closure and operating mechanism comprising a plurality of hatchway doors movable to open and closed positions, reciprocatable control means for controlling the opening and closing movements of doors on alternate floors, and other reciprocatable control means for controlling the movements of the other doors.

3. In combination, door closure and operating means comprising a plurality of hatchway doors movable to' open and closed positions, a double-deck elevator adapted to serve,

two adjacent floor levels, and ndependent, power operated door control mechanisms for effecting the opening and closing of the hatchway doors at adjacent floor levels so that the hatchway doors at two floor levels served by the two decks of the elevator can be controlled and operated entirely independently of each other.

4. In combination, door closure and operating means comprising a plurality of hatchway doors movable to open and closed positions, a. double-deck elevator adapted to serve two adjacent floor levels, andindependent pressure operated door control mechanisms for effecting the opening and closing of the hatchway doors at adjacent floor levels so that the hatchway doors at two floor levels served by the two decks of the elevator can be controlled and operated independently of each other.

5. In combination, a door movable to open and closed positions, a counterweight operatively connected to the door for opening the door, means for supporting said counterweight to prevent the opening of the door thereby, said means being movable downwardly to permit the counterweight to open the door, a latch for retaining the door in closed position, the latch and door having parts adapted to coact to prevent the withdrawal of the latch when the counterweight is unsupported.

6. In combination, a door movable to open and closed positions, a counterweight operatively connected to the door for opening the door, means for supporting said counterweight to prevent the opening of the door thereby, said means being movable downwardly to permit the counterweight to open the door, a latch for retaining the door in closed position, the latch and door having parts adapted to coact to prevent the withdrawal of the latch after the counterweight supporting means has moved downwardly and permitted the counterweight to be lowered.

7. In combination, a door movable to open and closed positions, a counterweight operatively connected to the door for opening the door, means for supporting said counterweight to prevent the opening of the door thereby, said means being movable downwardly to permit the counterweight to open the door, a latch for retaining the door in closed position, and means including a notch and a projection for preventing the withdrawal of the latch when the counterweight is unsupported.

8. In combination, a pair of tracks, a door movable in said tracks to open and closed positions, means for moving the door to open position, and a bumper carried by the door and having portions overlapping said tracks.

9. In combination, a door movable to open and closed positions, a counterweight operatively connected to the door for opening the door, means for supporting said counterweight to prevent the opening of the door thereby, said means being movable downwardly to permit the counterweight to open the door, a latch for retaining the door in closed position, said latch and door being so arranged that the door can be raised a slight amount when the latch is in latching position, and movable means at the bottom of the door for closing the crack when the door is so raised.

10. Door closure and operating means comprising a plurality of hatchway doors disposed at difierent floor levels and movable to. open and closed positions, and two sets of door control mechanisms, each set being arranged to control the doors at alternate floor levels, each of said mechanisms being operatable independently of the other set whereby the doors at one floor level can be operated independently of the doors at the adjacent floor levels.

11. Door closure and operating means comprising a plurality of hatchway doors disposed at difierent floor levels and movable to open and closed positions, and two sets of door control mechanism, one set being constructed and arranged to control the doors at the odd floor levels and the other set being constructed and arranged to control the doors at the even 'floor levels.

12. In combination, door closure and operating means comprising a plurality of hatchway doors located at difi'erent floor levels, a double deck elevator adapted to serve two adjacent floor levels, two sets of control mechanisms for said doors, one set being connected to control the doors at the odd floor levels and the other set being connected to control the doors at the even floor levels, whereby the doors at the two floor levels served by the two decks of the elevator can be operated entirely independently. In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand this 2nd day of April, 1928.

CHARLES C. TOMKINSON. 

